Ana Gasteyer
sugar & booze
Henry’s Girl, Inc.
The multi-talented Ana Gasteyer was one of SNL’s star-players across the late 1990s. Often music was a focus too, either with her original characters (Bobbie Mohan-Culp the opera-singing high school teacher) and in her brilliant impressions (Barbra Streisand and the best Celine Dion ever).
You can still see Gasteyer killing it on the screen (she chews every frame she can on the Maria Bamford vehicle Lady Dynamite) and for her second musical album she goes Yuletide – well, ‘tis the season.
And if you want to – or have to – let some Christmas into your life you could do a lot worse than hearing (or having) this one.
In a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s when everyone famous was Doris Day-ing their way through a slightly jazz, certainly snazzy collection of homely Christmas fare Gasteyer combines some original Xmas tunes with a few classics. Her old Saturday Night Live chum and fellow singer Maya Rudolph joins her for the duet, Secret Santa. The title track has Gasteyer celebrating all of the American Christmas traditions (snow and turtledoves et al) before pointing out that sugary treats and cups full of booze are the real highlights.
So it’s playful and sorta funny and amid the sass there’s some great singing and killer arrangements. Once or twice Ana even has something of a Chrissie Hynde tone to her voice, albeit with a broader range.
If you’ve read this far then you might be a contender for this – or know something that is. I’m a fan of Christmas music only on the day itself and in the handful of days leading up. I never go looking for new things but once or twice something sneaks in. I’m glad this did.
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